Today (12/13/24) at 11 a.m. officials from Food City will make “a significant gift” to Legacy Parks Foundation in support of the French Broad Veterans Memorial Park now under construction at 2302 E. Governor John Sevier Highway. You may have seen the John Becker commercials promoting the park.
Today would be a great time to visit and see how it’s coming. The park was launched with a $250,000 donation from Knox County, and Mayor Glenn Jacobs has been supportive throughout. Various veterans’ groups have contributed.
“We’ve raised $1.5 million for the $1.8 million project,” said Sarah Rump, director of marketing for Legacy Parks. “After Food City’s donation, we’ll be $300,000 shy of our budget. We expect to open in February or March 2025.”
Back view of pavilion shows parking.
The East Tennessee Veterans’ Cemetery across the river typically schedules three burials a day, she said. There is little time and no place for families to gather before or after the service.
The park will serve that purpose with a pavilion, walking trails, an overlook to the river and cemetery and a memorial wall. Like most Legacy Parks projects, once built the park will be transferred to Knox County for maintenance through Parks & Recreation.
Two significant donors, Rump said, are the contractor, Hickory Construction Inc., and the architectural firm, BarberMcMurry Architects (BMA).
Ryan Dobbs, AIA, a senior vice president at BMA, is the partner-in-charge of this project. A veteran himself, Dobbs said this park is near and dear to his heart. He was 82nd Airborne Division and completed two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2001 and 2005.
“For BarberMcMurry, participating in this project is just one way to give back and honor East Tennessee’s veterans,” he said. “The French Broad Veterans Memorial Park will include a large events pavilion, an ADA memorial walk, a reflection garden, a natural surface nature trail and a memorial wall honoring veterans. The Park’s overlook includes a phenomenal panoramic view of the French Broad River and the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery across it.
“BarberMcMurry is honored to be part of paying tribute to our friends and neighbors who have represented us all so bravely in the Armed Forces.”
Hickory Construction Inc. is an Alcoa-based firm founded in 1977 by Burke Pinnell and now headed by his son, Ben.
As board chair, Burke Pinnell is still actively engaged in the day-to-day operations of the company. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and an Eagle Scout. Burke and wife Lezah enjoy exploring the great outdoors through travel. Burke enjoys fishing, hunting and woodworking.
Ben Pinnell grew up in “the halls of Hickory,” and inherited the love of craftsmanship from his dad. He, too, is an Eagle Scout and is also a beekeeper. He has sought out and conquered challenges such as having hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail and navigated the entirety of the Mississippi River on a handmade raft.
Thank you. Will that facility be accessible regularly for those unable to make it today? Are there defined hours for access?
Andy: It’s a construction site now but should be open in February or March 2025, according to the story. Once it is conveyed to Knox County it should be open during regular park hours — dawn to dusk.